ABSTRACT
In the past 10 years, the research efforts in the field of liquid chromatography– mass spectrometry (LC–MS) have changed considerably. Investigations into the coupling of LC and MS started some 30 years ago, in the early 1970's. While in the first 20 years most of the attention had to be given to solving interface problems, building new technology, and so on, most workers with LC–MS today are only concerned with the application of the available technique in their field of interest. Technological problems in interfacing appear to be solved, and from the wide variety of interfaces developed over the years basically only two remained, i.e., electrospray (ESI) and atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI), which are both based on the principle of atmospheric-pressure ionization. Most of this book is devoted to the principles and applications of these two interfaces. However, for a good understanding of what LC–MS is today some knowledge of its history and its development is important, especially because from this knowledge one can answer the question why LC–MS interfaces are as they are today. Therefore, the first two chapters are devoted to the general history of LC–MS. This chapter deals with the history of LC–MS, not so much from a chronological perspective, but more from a strategic and developmental point of view, while in the next chapter a number of once successful, but now obsolete LC–MS interfaces are briefly discussed.
